Praying the Psalms
Why do we pray? Do we pray to rehearse our anxieties out loud to God?
Do we pray to change God or change ourselves? One reason to consider
is that through prayer we put on the mind of Christ. In other words, prayer
is meant to draw us out of ourselves and our narrow vision of the world
to see ourselves, our community, and our world as God does.
The people of God have always used the psalms to pray. Even Jesus prayed using the
psalms, drawing on them more than any other book from the Old Testament. In the
psalms we are met with a collective human voice stretched over a long period of time
that speaks of life as we experience it still today: a gift that brings forth immense joy
and gratitude that is sometimes under threat or in periods of difficult transition.
Praying the psalms gives us the language to express grief, anxiety, frustration, and pain.
But the psalms also give us hope because they witness to a God who is at work pouring
out mercy, patiently redeeming sinners, and making all things new. When we pray the
psalms, we add our voice to the voices of those throughout history who have sought
out communion with God in times of joy, despair, and threat and have had their hearts
and minds transformed by doing so. We invite you to pray the psalms during Lent.

How to use this guide to pray the Psalms:
Set aside about 15 minutes.
1. Spend a moment in silence, preparing to listen for God’s Word to you
through the psalm.
2. Read the psalm through for basic comprehension. Consider if the psalmist
is expressing grief, anxiety, gratitude, or hope.
3. Read the psalm out loud, paying attention to words or phrases that stand
out to you. What is there for you in this psalm that can help you pray for
others and yourself?
4. Paraphrase the psalm. Write down the meaning or theme of the psalm in
your own words.
5. Attach your prayer to the psalm. What is there in the psalm that you
can pray? Write a brief prayer that you can pray throughout the day.
A note on all of the cries for vengeance on enemies (also known as imprecatory
psalms):These cries for justice are important and remind us of God’s
holiness and care for those who are oppressed or persecuted. But we must
also remember Christ’s command to love even our enemies. Therefore, we
should pray these psalms as prayers for God’s peace in Christ to be known
in the world wherever there is injustice, violence, and oppression.

Example
Psalm 40:1-3, 5-7, 10
I waited patiently upon you, O Lord;
you stooped to me and heard my cry.
You lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay;
you set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.
The psalmist’s attitude is one
of hope. It is obvious that he
comes from a place of sin and
turmoil. He has just discovered
the true nature of sacrifice: it
is not just a ritual exercise but
Great things are they that you have done, O Lord my God!
an offering of self that comes
how great your wonders and your plans for us!
from a broken, sorrowful spirit.

You put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe,
and put their trust in the Lord.

there is none who can be compared with you.

Oh, that I could make them known and tell them!
but they are more than I can count.
In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure
burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required,
and so I said, “Behold, I come.”

He desires for us to know that
God can find us wherever we
are, and encourages us to seek
and be transformed by God. He
vows to be a bold witness
to God’s faithfulness.

Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance;
I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation.
Heavenly Father, I’m so grateful that you seek me however far I may fall.
Help me to remember all your sacrifices for my salvation.
Help me to not hide your righteousness and love in my heart, but to always be a bold
witness to your faithfulness. Amen.

Ash Wednesday, March 1
Psalm 51:1-3, 10-12
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness;
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
Wash me through and through from my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

Thursday, March 2
Psalm 37:3-7a
Put your trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
Take delight in the Lord ,
who shall give you your heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire.
Commit your way to the Lord; put your trust in the Lord,
who will bring it to pass.
The Lord will make your righteousness as clear as the light
and your just dealing as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord;
wait patiently for the Lord.

Friday, March 3
Psalm 31:19-24
How great is your goodness, O Lord!
which you have laid up for those who fear you;
which you have done in the sight of all
for those who put their trust in you.
You hide them in the covert of your presence from those
who slander them;
you keep them in your shelter from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord!
for you have shown me the wonders of your love in a besieged city.
Yet I said in my alarm,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have been cut off from the sight of your eyes.â&#x20AC;?
Nevertheless, you heard the sound of my entreaty
when I cried out to you.
Love the Lord, all you who are faithful;
the Lord protects the pious,
but repays to the full those who act haughtily.
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.

Saturday, March 4
Psalm 32:1-2, 5b-7
Happy are those whose transgressions are forgiven,
and whose sin is put away!
Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt,
and in whose spirit there is no guile!
I said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.â&#x20AC;?
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble;
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

First Sunday in Lent, March 5
Psalm 63:1-4, 8
O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place,
that I might behold your power and your glory.
For your loving-kindness is better than life itself;
my lips shall give you praise.
So I will bless you as long as I live
and lift up my hands in your name.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

Monday, March 6
Psalm 52:6-9
The righteous shall see and tremble,
and they shall laugh at you, saying,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the one who did not take God for a refuge,
but trusted in great wealth
and relied upon wickedness.â&#x20AC;?
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
I will give you thanks for what you have done
and declare the goodness of your name in the presence of the godly.

Tuesday, March 7
Psalm 48: 1-2, 9-10
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
in the city of our God is the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holy hill.
Beautiful and lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the hill of Zion,
the city of the great Sovereign and the very center of the world.
We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
Your praise, like your name, O God, reaches to the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end;
your right hand is full of justice.

Wednesday, March 8
Psalm 119:49-50, 54-55, 57-58
Remember your word to your servant,
in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
Your statutes have been my songs
wherever I make my home.
I remember your name in the night,
O Lord,
and keep your law.
The Lord is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
I implore your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your
promise.

Thursday, March 9
Psalm 50:7, 15, 23
Hear, O my people, and I will speak:
O Israel, I will bear witness against you;
for I am God, your God.
Call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall honor me.
Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me;
but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.

Friday, March 10
Psalm 51:15-17
Open my lips, O Lord,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice,
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Saturday, March 11
Psalm 139:13-17, 23-24
For you yourself created my inmost parts;
you knit me together in my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s womb.
I will thank you because I am marvelously made;
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
My body was not hidden from you,
while I was being made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were written in your book;
they were fashioned day by day,
when as yet there was none of them.
How deep I find your thoughts, O God!
how great is the sum of them!
Search me out, O God, and know my heart;
try me and know my restless thoughts.
Look well whether there be any wickedness in me
and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

Second Sunday in Lent, March 12
Psalm 121:1-3, 7-8
I lift up my eyes to the hills;
from where is my help to come?
My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
The Lord will not let your foot be moved,
and the One who watches over you will not fall asleep.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
the Lord shall keep you safe.
The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth forevermore.

Monday, March 13
Psalm 56:1-4
Have mercy on me, O God,
for my enemies are hounding me;
all day long they assault and oppress me.
They hound me all the day long;
truly there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
Whenever I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid,
for what can flesh do to me?

Tuesday, March 14
Psalm 62:5-8
For God alone my soul in silence waits;
truly, my hope is in God.
God alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
In God is my safety and my honor;
God is my strong rock and my refuge.
Put your trust in God always, O people,
pour out your hearts before God, who is our refuge.

Wednesday, March 15
Psalm 72:11-14, 17-18
All kings shall bow down before him,
and all the nations do him service.
For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress,
and the oppressed who has no helper.
He shall have pity on the lowly and poor
and shall preserve the lives of the needy.
He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence,
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
May his name be established forever
and be established as long as the sun endures;
may all the nations bless themselves in him and call him blessed.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds!

Thursday, March 16
Psalm 71:1-3, 20-22
In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be ashamed.
In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free;
incline your ear to me and save me.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe;
you are my crag and my stronghold.
You have showed me great troubles and adversities,
but you have restored my life
and bring me up again from the deep places of the earth.
You strengthen me more and more;
you enfold and comfort me,
Therefore I will praise you upon the lyre for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing to you with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.

Friday, March 17
Psalm 69:1-2, 16-18, 32-33
Save me, O God,
for the waters have risen up to my neck.
I am sinking in deep mire,
and there is no firm ground for my feet.
I have come into deep waters,
and the torrent washes over me.
Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind;
in your great compassion, turn to me.
Hide not your face from your servant;
be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
Draw near to me and redeem me;
because of my enemies deliver me.
The afflicted shall see and be glad;
you who seek God, your heart shall live.
For the Lord listens to the needy
and does not despise those who are in prison.

Saturday, March 18
Psalm 27:1, 7, 10-11, 14
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
the Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
Though my father and my mother forsake me,
the Lord will sustain me.
Show me your way, O Lord;
lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
O tarry and await the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pleasure;
be strong, and the Lord shall comfort your heart;
wait patiently for the Lord.

Third Sunday in Lent, March 19
Psalm 95:1-3, 6
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence with thanksgiving
and raise a loud shout to the Lord with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great Sovereign above all gods.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee,
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Monday, March 20
Psalm 77:11-15
I will remember the works of the Lord,
and call to mind your wonders of old time.
I will meditate on all your acts
and ponder your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy;
who is so great a god as our God?
You are the God who works wonders
and have declared your power among the peoples.
By your strength you have redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.

Tuesday, March 21
Psalm 78:4, 34-38
We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord,
and the wonderful works God has done.
Whenever God slew them, they would repent,
and they would diligently search for God.
They would remember that God was their rock,
and the Most High God their redeemer.
But they flattered God with their mouths
and lied to God with their tongues.
Their heart was not steadfast toward God,
and they were not faithful to the covenant.
But being so merciful, God forgave their sins
and did not destroy them;
many times God held back anger
and did not permit divine wrath to be roused.

Wednesday, March 22
Psalm 119:105, 108, 114, 116-117
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Accept my offerings to praise, O Lord,
and teach me your ordinances.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
Uphold me according to your promise,
that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my
hope.
Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes
continually.

Thursday, March 23
Psalm 42:1-2, 5, 8
As a deer longs for the water-brooks,
so longs my soul for you, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;
when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?
and why are you so disquieted within me?
Put your trust in God;
for I will yet give thanks to the One
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
The Lord grants loving-kindness in the daytime;
in the night season the song of the Lord is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.

Friday, March 24
Psalm 92:1-4, 13-15
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning
and of your faithfulness in the night season;
on the psaltery, and on the lyre,
and to the melody of the harp.
For you have made me glad by your acts, O Lord;
and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
shall flourish in the courts of our God;
they shall still bear fruit in old age;
they shall be green and succulent;
that they may show how upright the Lord is,
My Rock, in whom there is no fault.

Saturday, March 25
Psalm 136:4-6, 23-26
Who only does great wonders,
for the mercy of God endures forever;
who by wisdom made the heavens,
for the mercy of God endures forever;
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
for the mercy of God endures foreve
Who remembered us in our low estate,
for the mercy of God endures forever;
and delivered us from our enemies,
for the mercy of God endures forever;
who gives food to all creatures,
for the mercy of God endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for the mercy of God endures forever.

Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 26
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
You make me lie down in green pastures
and lead me beside still waters.
You revive my soul
and guide me along right pathways for your nameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake,
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me;
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Monday, March 27
Psalm 89:5, 11, 14, 18
The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O Lord,
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours;
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.
Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne;
love and truth go before your face.
Truly, the Lord is our ruler;
the Holy One of Israel is our Sovereign.

Tuesday, March 28
Psalm 94:10-12a, 14, 19, 22
Does the One who admonishes the nations not punish?
does the One who teaches all the world have no knowledge?
The Lord knows our human thoughts;
how like a puff of wind they are.
Happy are they whom you instruct, O Lord!
whom you teach out of your law,
For you, O Lord, will not abandon your people,
nor will you forsake your own.
When many cares fill my mind,
your consolations cheer my soul.
But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my trust.

Wednesday, March 29
Psalm 101:1-3a
I will sing of loyalty and of justice;
to you, O Lord, I will sing.
I will study the way that is blameless.
when shall I attain it?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
anything that is base.

Thursday, March 30
Psalm 73:24-28
You will guide me by your counsel,
and afterwards receive me with glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
and having you I desire nothing upon earth.
Though my flesh and my heart should waste away,
God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Truly, those who forsake you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful.
But it is good for me to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge.

Friday, March 31
Psalm 107:1-2, 9, 13, 15
Give thanks to the Lord, who is good,
whose mercy endures forever.
Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim
that the Lord redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
For God satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Then in their trouble they cried to the Lord,
who delivered them from their distress.
Let them give thanks for the mercy of God,
for the wonders the Lord does for all people.

Saturday, April 1
Psalm 108:1-6
My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed;
I will sing and make melody.
Wake up, my spirit;
awake, lute and harp;
I myself will waken the dawn.
I will confess you among the peoples, O Lord;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens,
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God,
and your glory over all the earth.
So that those who are dear to you may be delivered,
save with your right hand and answer me.

Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 2
Psalm 130
Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice;
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss,
O Lord, who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you;
therefore you shall be feared.
I will wait for you, O Lord; my soul waits for you;
in your word is my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord,
more than sentries for the morning,
more than sentries for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy;
There is plenteous redemption with the Lord,
who shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

Monday, April 3
Psalm 35:1-2, 10, 24, 28
Fight those who fight me, O Lord;
attack those who are attacking me.
Take up shield and armor
and rise up to help me.
My very bones will say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lord, who is like you?
You deliver the poor from those who are too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them.â&#x20AC;?
Give me justice, O Lord my God,
according to your righteousness;
do not let them triumph over me.
And my tongue shall be talking of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.

Tuesday, April 4
Psalm 126
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
then were we like those who dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Lord has done great things for them.â&#x20AC;?
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are glad indeed.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses of the Negev.
Those who sowed with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed,
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

Thursday, April 6
Psalm 131
O Lord, I am not proud;
I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters,
or with things that are too hard for me.
But I still my soul and make it quiet,
like a child upon its motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breast;
my soul is quieted within me.
O Israel, wait upon the Lord,
from this time forth forevermore.

Friday, April 7
Psalm 143:8-12
Let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning,
for I put my trust in you;
show me the road that I must walk,
for I lift up my soul to you.
Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord,
for I flee to you for refuge.
Teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God;
let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Revive me, O Lord, for your nameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake;
for your righteousnessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sake, bring me out of trouble.
Of your goodness, destroy my enemies
and bring all my foes to naught,
for truly I am your servant.

Saturday, April 8
Psalm 137:1-6
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept,
when we remembered you, O Zion.
As for our harps, we hung them up
on the trees in the midst of that land.
For those who led us away captive asked us for a song,
and our oppressors called for mirth:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
How shall we sing the Lord’s song
upon an alien soil.
If I forget you, O Jersusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-23
Give thanks to the Lord, who is good,
whose mercy endures forever.
Let Israel now proclaim,
“The mercy of the Lord endures forever.”
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.
“This is the gate of the Lord;
those who are righteous may enter.”
I will give thanks to you, for you answered me
and have become my salvation.
The same stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Monday of Holy Week, April 10
Psalm 36:5-11
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the strong mountains,
your justice like the great deep;
you save humans and beasts alike, O Lord.
How priceless is your love, O God!
your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
They feast upon the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the well of life,
and in your light we see light.
Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you,
and your favor to those who are true of heart.
Let not the foot of the proud come near me,
nor the hand of the wicked push me aside.

Tuesday of Holy Week, April 11
Psalm 71:5-6, 9, 12-14
For you are my hope, O Lord God,
my confidence since I was young.
I have been sustained by you ever since I was born;
from my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s womb you have been my strength;
my praise shall be always of you.
Do not cast me off in my old age;
forsake me when my strength fails.
O God, be not far from me;
come quickly to help me, O my God.
Let those who set themselves against me be put to shame and be disgraced;
let those who seek to do me evil be covered with scorn and reproach.
But I shall always wait in patience,
and shall praise you more and more.

Wednesday of Holy Week, April 12
Psalm 70
Be pleased, O God, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Let those who seek my life be ashamed
and altogether dismayed;
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
draw back and be disgraced.
Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back,
because they are ashamed.
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation say forever,
“Great is the Lord!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come to me speedily, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not tarry.

Maundy Thursday, April 13
Psalm 116:1-3, 12-17
I love the Lord, because the Lord has heard the voice of my supplication
and inclined an ear to me whenever I cried out.
The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me;
I came to grief and sorrow.
How shall I repay you, O Lord,
for all the good things you have done for me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call upon the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all the chosen people.
Precious in your sight, O Lord
is the death of your servants.
O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call upon the name of the Lord.

Good Friday, April 14
Psalm 22:1-4, 19, 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer;
by night as well, but I find no rest.
Yet you are the Holy One,
enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
Our ancestors put their trust in you;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
Be not far away, O Lord;
you are my strength; hasten to help me.
I will declare your name to the community;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

Holy Saturday, April 15
Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16
In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
Incline your ear to me;
make haste to deliver me.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold;
for the sake of your name, lead me and guide me.
Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,
for you are my tower of strength.
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
Make your face to shine upon your servant,
and in your loving-kindness save me.

Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-17, 19, 21, 24
Give thanks to the Lord, who is good,
whose mercy endures forever.
Let Israel now proclaim,
“The mercy of the Lord endures forever.”
The Lord is my strength and my song
and has become my salvation.
There is a sound of exultation and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord has triumphed!
the right hand of the Lord is exalted!
the right hand of the Lord has triumphed!”
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord.
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.
I will give thanks to you, for you answered me
and have become my salvation.
On this day the Lord has acted;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Notes

Copyright 2017 Covenant Presbyterian Church
Psalms from Book of Common Worship